Exceptional Extended Field-of-view Observations by PROBA2/SWAP on 2017 April 1 and 3

On 2017 April 1 and 3, two large eruptions on the western solar limb, which were associated with M4.4- and M5.8-class flares, respectively, were observed with the Sun Watcher with Active Pixels and Image Processing (SWAP) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) solar telescope on board the Project for On Board Au...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2019-09, Vol.883 (1), p.59
Main Authors: O'Hara, Jennifer P., Mierla, Marilena, Podladchikova, Olena, D'Huys, Elke, West, Matthew J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceleration
Astrophysics
Corona
Coronagraphs
Coronal mass ejection
Data points
Deceleration
Eruptions
Evolution
Field of view
Image processing
Kinematics
Solar atmosphere
Solar instruments
Solar limb
Spacecraft
Sun: activity
Sun: corona
Sun: coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
Sun: UV radiation
waves
White light
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Summary:On 2017 April 1 and 3, two large eruptions on the western solar limb, which were associated with M4.4- and M5.8-class flares, respectively, were observed with the Sun Watcher with Active Pixels and Image Processing (SWAP) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) solar telescope on board the Project for On Board Autonomy 2 (PROBA2) spacecraft. The large field-of-view (FOV) of SWAP, combined with an advantageous off-point, allows us to study the eruptions up to approximately 2 solar radii (Rs), where space-based coronagraph observations begin. These measurements provide us with some of the highest EUV observations of an eruption, giving crucial additional data points to track the early evolution of Coronal Mass Ejections. In SWAP observations, we track the evolution of off-limb erupting features as well as associated on-disk EUV waves, and the kinematics of both are calculated. The first eruption shows a clear deceleration throughout the lower corona into coronagraph observations, whereas the second eruption, which had a lower initial velocity, shows no obvious acceleration or deceleration profile. This paper presents a unique set of observations, allowing features observed in EUV to be traced to greater heights in the solar atmosphere, helping to bridge the gap to the FOV of white-light coronagraphs. Even with these favorable data sets, it remains a challenging task to associate features observed in EUV with those observed in white light, highlighting our urgent need for single-instrument observations of the combined lower and middle corona.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/ab3b08